Last month, the Texas legislature introduced two companion bills, S.B. No. 2677 and H.B. No. 700, to regulate sales-based commercial financing. For purposes of the proposed legislation, sales-based financing is a transaction...more
4/14/2025
/ Banks ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Financing ,
Lenders ,
Loans ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Texas ,
Usury
On March 20, the Arkansas governor signed into law Arkansas Act 347, known as the Earned Wage Access Services Act. Sponsored by Representative David Ray (R) and Senator Ben Gilmore (R), this legislation aims to regulate...more
3/25/2025
/ Arkansas ,
Debt Collection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Fees ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Wages
The Utah Legislature has passed H.B. 279, known as the Earned Wage Access Services Act. Sponsored by Representative A. Cory Maloy (R) and Senator Chris H. Wilson (R), this legislation aims to regulate earned wage access (EWA)...more
3/17/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Data Privacy ,
Debt Collection ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Employees ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Independent Contractors ,
Pending Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
In a move that could significantly impact the auto retail industry, California has introduced Senate Bill 766, known as the California Combating Auto Retail Scams (CARS) Act. Introduced by Senator Benjamin Allen (D) on...more
2/28/2025
/ Automotive Industry ,
California ,
Car Dealerships ,
CARS Rule ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Motor Vehicles ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulation ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
On January 8, Senate Bill No. 1252 (SB 1252) was introduced to the Virginia General Assembly, aiming to amend and reenact sections of the Code of Virginia related to the application of usury rates. Just two weeks ago, the...more
2/28/2025
/ Banks ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Interest Rates ,
Loans ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements
On January 14, Patriot Bank, N.A. entered into an agreement with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to address and rectify several unsafe or unsound practices and violations of law. This agreement follows the...more
We are pleased to share our annual review of regulatory and legal developments in the consumer financial services industry. With active federal and state legislatures, consumer financial services providers faced a challenging...more
2/17/2025
/ Automotive Loans ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
TCPA ,
UDAAP ,
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
On January 10, the Alaska Legislature introduced Senate Bill 39 that aims to amend the state’s Small Loan Act. This proposed legislation seeks to implement significant changes, including the introduction of a predominant...more
On January 22, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a significant settlement with Yellowstone Capital of New Jersey and its affiliated companies over allegations of illegal high-interest loans disguised as...more
1/28/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Debt Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Crimes ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fraud ,
High-Interest Loans ,
Lenders ,
Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) ,
State Attorneys General ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
As part of a flurry of last minute regulatory activity by the Biden administration’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau), on January 15, the CFPB published an advisory opinion in the Federal Register...more
1/23/2025
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Biden Administration ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Payroll Deductions ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) anticipates a shift in its leadership with the incoming administration of President Trump, the Bureau has released a report titled “Strengthening State-Level...more
1/16/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Data Privacy ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal v State Law Application ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hidden Fees ,
New Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Trump Administration
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) proposed a new rule aimed at banning certain contractual provisions in agreements for consumer financial products or services. The CFPB’s proposal targets certain...more
1/15/2025
/ Arbitration Agreements ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Contracts ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Contract Terms ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Small Business ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
This week, New York became the latest state to introduce legislation aimed at regulating Earned Wage Access (EWA) services. Assembly Bill 258 titled — “An Act to Amend the Banking Law, in Relation to Providing for Income...more
1/10/2025
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New York ,
NYDFS ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Wages
In the last two weeks, several amicus briefs were filed in the Tenth Circuit in the ongoing litigation concerning Colorado’s opt-out from the Depository Institutions Deregulation and Monetary Control Act (DIDMCA). Troutman...more
12/5/2024
/ Amicus Briefs ,
Banks ,
Colorado ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
DIDMCA ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interest Rates ,
Loans ,
Opt-Outs ,
Preliminary Injunctions
Last month, we discussed the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation’s (DFPI) newly approved regulations for direct-to-consumer earned wage access (EWA) products. These regulations, approved by the Office...more
11/26/2024
/ California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loans ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
On November 13, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) released a pilot study titled “Matched-Pair Testing in Small Business Lending Markets” highlighting what the CFPB believes were two statistically...more
11/15/2024
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Disparate Impact ,
Disparate Treatment ,
ECOA ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Race Discrimination ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans
On October 31, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the appellants’ motion to expedite the appeal in Texas Bankers Association v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The suit...more
On October 11, the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) approved the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation’s (DFPI) proposed regulations on direct-to-consumer (i.e., non-employer offered) earned wage...more
10/24/2024
/ Banks ,
California ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Loans ,
New Regulations ,
Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) ,
Wage and Hour
On October 4, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) announced increased dollar thresholds used to determine whether certain consumer credit and lease transactions in 2025 are...more
10/17/2024
/ Appraisal ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Price Index ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Exemptions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FRB ,
Leases ,
Mortgages ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulation Z ,
Threshold Requirements ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
On September 24, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a package of consumer protection laws, with three bills aimed directly at collection practices. These new laws introduce significant changes in the areas of...more
Monday, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas granted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB or Bureau) motion for summary judgment on all Administrative Procedure Act (APA) challenges brought...more
8/28/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau v Community Financial Services Association of America Ltd ,
Data Collection ,
Dodd-Frank ,
Federal Funding ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Lenders ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
Section 1071 ,
Small Business
A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California against EarnIn, a FinTech provider of Earned Wage Access services, alleging that its optional fees and tips...more
8/23/2024
/ Annual Percentage Rate (APR) ,
Class Action ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Excessive Fees ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Hidden Fees ,
Lenders ,
Payday Loans ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) issued a proposed interpretive rule opining that earned wage access (EWA) products — whether provided through employer partnerships or marketed directly to...more
7/22/2024
/ Borrowers ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit ,
Earned Wage Access ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Payday Loans ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulation Z ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA) ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wages
On July 1, amendments to Florida’s Consumer Finance Act took effect. Among other things, the amendments raise the maximum tiered interest rates on consumer finance loans, increase the grace period before late fees can be...more
The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has once again modified its proposed rulemaking on earned wage access (EWA) products. As discussed here, this spring the Office of Administrative Law...more